All posts tagged carolina panthers

All of Reliant Stadium got into the red act for the Texans victory over the Jaguars on Sunday. Photo by Getty Images

This week’s action in the NFL was a rare instance of more excitement with uniforms than their college counterparts.

It starts with the Houston Texans who used their alternate red in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The best part of this was not the jersey itself, but the fact that the rest of the stadium went along with this red revolution.

Houston must have gotten the word out to its fanbase of the uniform change because just about every fan in Reliant Stadium was going right along with their Texans in their red jerseys. Even the end zones had a red shadow to the letters instead of the usual blue.

Other teams, like the Jets, go with their alternate uniforms without changing anything else about their surrounding area. The Texans got it right in this case with a total feeling of red throughout Reliant Stadium.

The look isn’t good or bad, but just average. I prefer the normal blue uniform to this red look, but was very happy to see the rest of Houston going along with their team in the alternative direction.

Usually this color coordination is seen in the NHL and NBA playoffs. It seemed like just about every team in the NBA decided to go with this cool television effect this past postseason. The Heat are known for their white outs including the white drapes over the empty courtside seats.

With that, time for the quick hits:

A.J. Feeley and the rest of the Rams looked good and played even better against the Saints on Sunday. Photo by Getty Images

The Rams went back to their glory days in the uniform department and on the field as they went to throwbacks for an upset of the Saints. These uniforms are the best the Rams have ever worn, it was great to see them used again.

Carolina continued to employ its powder blue home jerseys. It makes me wonder if these have become the primary uniforms for the Panthers.

The Broncos also went with their alternate orange uniforms. The orange harkens back to the Orange Crush and John Elway days. The look is a bit jarring at first, but I think it definitely works for Denver.

Sunday’s NFL slate was billed as one of the least exciting of the season, and it lived up to the hype. While Tim Tebow might have led another fourth-quarter comeback in Miami and the Jets and Chargers entertained us for a bit early on, it was a good thing the World Series was on that night.

The lack of excitement on the field was matched in the uniforms department. With that said, we will immediately move to the quick hits:

Jonathan Stewart and the rest of the Panthers had a very good day against the Redskins in these light blue alternates. Photo by Getty Images

The Panthers went with their alternate light blue jerseys in a victory against the Redskins. This look works and certainly brings out the light blue outline on the silver helmets. It also matches another football team that plays in North Carolina.

Minnesota chose a throwback look for the second time this season in a close loss to the Packers, which is always nice to see.

The Saints dominated the Colts in white at home. I had a sneaking suspicion New Orleans might go this route before the game, but was hoping it wouldn’t be right. There was certainly no getting in the Saints way as their offense soared and Drew Brees ruined my perfect record in fantasy football.

Quarterback Mark Sanchez and the Jets rolled in over the Jaguars yesterday in these stellar throwback New York Titans uniforms. Photo by The Star-Ledger

This week in the NFL did not have too much action in the way of bold fashion statements. The NFL has restrictions on uniforms, keeping teams to only two games in their alternate uniforms per season. This makes sure there are no teams like Maryland or Oregon in the league where they play ……. for pay (thanks, Mike Francesa).

The one team that did make people notice them for more than just their stellar play on the field in a dominant performance over the putrid Jacksonville Jaguars was the New York Jets. As they have done in the past, the Jets went with these New York Titans throwback uniforms.

Overall, these uniforms are pretty solid considering they are throwbacks. I would not like them as permanent uniforms for any team.

I am always a fan of stripes along the shoulders, which adds some solid detail to this otherwise simple uniform. The same could be said for the white and blue stripes along the side of the gold/yellow pants (I really can’t decide what color they are).

The best feature here is the decidedly gold numbers. They are simple and effective. The absence of any kind of outline on the number helps it almost fade into the blue of the shirt and makes it clear these are throwbacks.

Looking at the helmet also makes it clear the Jets have become the Titans for this particular game. Again, the stripe is definitely gold which helps with the helmet. Also, the lack of any writing on the sides of the helmets gives a clear indication it is a throwback.

While the uniforms were stellar, the look of the field at MetLife Stadium and the surroundings all pointed to this being a Jets home game. While I understand the New York Jets were actually the ones facing the Jaguars, I wish the people at the Meadowlands would have changed the end zone from the usual green coloring with white letters to a blue coloring with gold letters saying “Titans”. It would have completed the day and made everything about the uniforms work.

The Chargers make some changes to their end zone when they go with the powder blues and it completes the entire look of the game. The difference here is the Chargers play on natural grass while the Jets are on FieldTurf, which I imagine might cause some problems for a brand new end zone for just one game, but it would help immensely.

Bills running back Fred Jackson had a strong game and looked good while doing it in Buffalo's new home uniforms. Photo by Getty Images

That’s all for the New York Titans, a few other teams made some uniform news so here are a few quick hits:

The Tennessee Titans went with white uniforms at home in their victory over the Ravens, one of my major pet peeves if you’re not the Dallas Cowboys or Miami Dolphins.

The Saints and Panthers also went with white at home. I understand the move for the Panthers because it can be hot in North Carolina this time of year, but I still prefer the usual black uniforms or their alternate light blues. However, the Saints choice just bothers me. They play in a climate-controlled dome, why do you have to wear white at home?

The Bills debuted their new home uniforms in a thrilling victory over the Raiders that saw them score a touchdown on every possession in the second half. I really like these uniforms for the most part, the only thing I could do without is how the stripe on the helmet gets wider at the back. Why is it like that? It ruins a nearly perfect uniform.

All right, enough for today. Here’s a little preview of what is coming for the rest of the week, including what I hope to be a usual Tuesday staple of reviewing the uniform history of the teams featured on Monday Night Football:

Tuesday: A look at the Rams and Giants uniform transformations

Wednesday: End Zones, the chance for freedom in field design

Thursday: What’s Maryland wearing this week?

Friday or Saturday: What uniforms have to do with the Red Sox collapse